US2114291A - Mechanism and system for transmitting messages - Google Patents

Description

A. D. ITZEN April 19, 193s.

MECHANISM AND SYSTEM FOR TRNSMITTING MESSAGES Original Filed April 20, 1933 4 Sheets-Sheet l Illll NN will INVENTOR. 4061/5 r ff Zf/v ATTORNEY.

April 19, i938. A D E11-ZEN 2,114,291

MECHANISM AND SYSTEM FOR TRANSMITTING MESSAGES 'y @riginal Filed April 2o. 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

UGMST. f/ TZf/v ATTORNEY.

A. D. EITZEN April 19, l938.

MECHANISM AND SYSTEM FOR TRANSMITTING MESSAGES 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed April 2O pr lg, 1938. A, D ElTZEN 2,114,291

MECHANISM AND SYSTEMFOR TRANSMITTING MESSAGES Origial Filed April 20, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 mim...

A TTORNE Y.

Patented Apr. 19, 1938 UNTED STATES MECHANISM AND SYSTEM Fon TRANS- MITTING MESSAGES August D. Eitzen, Rockville Centre, N. Y., assignor to News Projection Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 20, 1933, Serial No. 666,978

Renewed January 12, 1937 3 Claims.

This invention relates in general to message transmitting systems and the mechanism for transmitting and receiving messages and more especially to machines for transmitting and re- :5 ceiving messages in which the transmitting machine translates a printed message on a tape into light impulses, and electrically transmits such light impulses to a remotely disposed receiver which in turn transmits such light impulses onto the screen as images of the printed message.

Among the objects of the present invention, it is aimed to provide an improved message transmitting and receiving mechanism by means of which a printed message on a tape may be trans- 15- mitted to a remotely disposed screen by translating images of the characters on a printed tape into light impulses, and electrically transmitting such light impulses to a remotely disposed receiver which in turn translates such latter light impulses onto such remotely disposed screen into the images initially produced.

It is still another object of the present invention, to provide an improved message transmitting system especially adapted as an inter-office communication system comprising a transmitting station at which a printed tape or sheet is received, the images of the printed matter on the tape translated into light impulses and such light impulses electrically transmitted to a receiving station, a screen at such receiving station, and means for translating the received light impulses onto such screen into reproductions of the images initially produced at such sending or transmitting station.

35 These and other features, capabilities and advantages of the invention will appear from the subjoined detail description of specific embodiments thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which 4 Figure 1 shows more or less diagrammatically a complete message and transmitting system made according to one embodiment of this invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmental detail, partly in section showing part of the mechanism for translating images into light impulses or for translating light impulses to images according to the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view oi a scanning disc and its position relative to the tape lto be scanned according to the embodiment illustrated in Fig. l.;

Fig. 4 is a fragmental sectional elevation more or less diagrammatically shown o another embodiment of the present invention;

55 Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmental detail showtranslating light impulses into images accord- 1 ing to the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective of a desk equipped with a receiving set associated therewith forming a part of the present system.

With the embodiment illustrated in Figs. l to 3, there may be used any suitable printer, as for instance the high speed ticker which operates and discharges tape at a rate of about sixty-two inches per minute or about one inch of eight characters per second, there being shown in the present instance a ticker I for printing on narrow tape 2, such as ticker tape, which tape extends from the ticker I under the ringer or roller 3 of a switch arm Il and then over the rollers 5 and 6 disposed at the ends of a light aperture formed above the condenser 1.

From the roller 6, the tape 2 passes down under the idler 8 and then over to the idler 9 of a tape puller II] having a tape pulling roller II. tape pulling roller II down to and under the idler I2 and from the idler I2 over to the rewind reel I3.

The shaft of the tape pulling roller Ii is operatively connected to the motor I4 which is connected by the conductor I5 to a source of electric energy by the outlet plug I6 and also connected to the switch box il operated by the switch arm 4. The rewind reel i3 is connected by the flexible belt i8 with the pulley I9 operatively connected to the shaft of the tape pulling roller Ii in the usual way.

For maintaining the tape in driving connection with the tape pulling roller Il, the spring pressed idler 20 is provided.

The condenser l is mounted at the upper end of a lamp housing ZI having a lamp 22. Above the scanning disc there is mounted a funnel 23 at the upper end of which there is formed a light sensitive element, such as a photoelectric cell 24 shielded from all extraneous light except that which may pass up to it through the funnel 23 from the lamp 22. The photoelectric cell 24 is connected by the conductors 25 and 25 with the amplier 21 of usual construction, which in The tape passes from the idler 9 over the til) turn is connected to the main conductors 28 and 29. The main conductors 28 and 29 are connected by the conductors 3!) and 3l respectively with the lamp 32 preferably of the rapidly modulating type, such as a neon tube.

The lamp 32 in the present instance is mounted in a lamp housing 33 having a condenser 34 at the upper end adjacent to a light aperture from which the light passes to an objective 35 and from there to a screen housing 36 having a reflector not shown, ultimately striking the screen 3i.

If desired, any number of receiving stations may be provided in which the conductors 28 and 29 may as an instance be connected to other amplifiers denominated generally as n, which amplifiers 11. are connected to main conductors 38 and 39 which main conductors are in turn connected by the conductors 4011 and 4in respectively with the lamps 42n preferably of the neon type.

Cooperating with the lamp 22 and photoelectric cell 24, there is provided a disc 43, such for instance as a scanning disc of the Nipkow type. Cooperating with the lamp 33, there is provided a similar disc 44. These discs are substantially identical in construction and are adapted to be operated at the same speed, for which purpose these discs 43 and 44 are preferably operatively connected to the synchronous motors 45 and 4K5 respectively operating in the well known manner on alternating current.

In the present instance, the discs 43 and 44 are directly mounted on the shafts of the motors 45 and 46 respectively. The motors 45 and 43 are connected to the main conductors 4l and 48, the conductors 49 and 50 connecting the motor 45 with the conductors 4l and 48 respectively and the conductors 5i and 52 connecting the motor 46 with the conductors 4l and 48 respectively. The conductors 42 and 5i) are preierably provided with the switch 53 and the conductors 5l and 52 with the switch 54.

The discs 43 and 44 are substantially iden tical in construction having, see Fig. 3, a spiral row of holes 55. In the present instance, there are provided sixty-four of these holes, each being about one sixty-fourth of an inch at the lower end of the disc and ilaring outwardly into a cone shaped opening, such as illustrated in Fig. 2, to facilitate the ready passage of a beam of light from the condensers 'l and 34 upwardly therethrough.

In the enlarged detail illustrated in Fig. 2, the condenser "l is directing a beam of light through the hole 55 of the disc 43 from which it will appear that the full beam of light received at the lower end of the hole 55 will be permitted freely to pass up to the photoelectric cell 24 without interference. The space between successive holes 55 will depend upon the width of the tape submitted. Preferably the space is just suicient to correspond to the width of the tape so that one hole will entirely clear the tape before the other hole starts to close it, see particularly Fig. 3.

Excellent results have been produced when the speed of the motor approximates eighteen hundred revolutions per minute. After the discs are synchronized so that the spirals S have corresponding openings e5 at the same position on the light aperture, the mechanisms are ready for transmitting and receiving operation. In order that the discs become so synchronized, it will of course be necessary to position the disc 44 so that its spiral S will correspond to the angular position of the spiral S on the disc 43 corresponding to the light aperture. For so setting the disc 44, it Will only be necessary to turn the worm 65 in mesh with the worm Wheel 68 on the field frame of the motor 46 properly to position the disc 44, that is to frame the picture.

The operation is substantially as follows, the tape 2 to be used is preferably of a translucent or transparent type through which a light beam freely passes in order to produce images of any printed characters upon the same. If for instance the tape being used is ticker tape as illustrated in Fig. 3, the light from the lamp 22 will illuminate the tape 2 and pass through the same only being obstructed where printed characters are positioned. The spiral S from end to end of the same in the present instance is illustrated as scanning a portion of the tape 2,

one inch in length, see for instance the area 61 in Fig. 3 as a result of which in the fraction of a second in which this area is scanned light impulses corresponding to this area willr be transmitted to the photoelectric cell 24 which impulses in turn will be electrically transmitted to the lamp 32 so that the lamp 32 will be illuminated and shut olf to correspond to the light impulses transmitted to the cell 24 in turn to cooperate with the openings 55 in the disc 44 to permit light to passy through such openings 55 only as and when light beams pass through corresponding openings 55 of the disc 43 in turn to re-' produce an image of the characters on the tape 2, which image will be magnified by the objective 35 and directed ultimately to appear on the screen 31.

In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4, there is shown a mechanism which will scan a length of tape at least twice the length of that ordinarily possible with the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1.

Furthermore, with the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 4, there is shown a mechanism whereby the discs of the receiving station may automatically be adjusted into picture frame relation with the discs of the sending station.

In this embodiment, the tape T may be printed by the ordinary printer, such as a teletype or ticker and free to pass over the guide roller 68 of the switch box 69 and then under the finger 'FEB of the switch arm 'H pivotally mounted on said switch box 69 and from the finger 10, the tape T passes up to and over the idler 'l2 at the entrance end of the light aperture formed above the condenser 13. The tape then passes across the idler 14 at the discharge end of the light aperture and then passes down under the idler l5, inthe present instance, secured to one side of the lamp housing 16 and from there passes to and under the idler 'l1 secured to the tape puller 'I3 and from such idler Tl passes over the pulling roller 'i9 and then under the idler 80 over to a suitable rewind reel or the like not here shown.

The tape pulling roller 19 is drivingly connected in the usual way to a motor 8|, the conductor 3la of which is connected to a suitable source of power by means of the outlet plug 82 and also connected to the switch box 69 to be controlled by the same.

For drivin-gly pressing the tape into engagement with the pulling roller 19, there is provided the spring pressed idler 83.

In the lamp housing 16, there is mounted a lamp 84 for directing a beam of light onto the condenser 13 from which the same will pass through the discs hereinafter to be described to a light sensitive device such as the photoelectric cell mounted in the bracket 85 extending up from the side of the lamp` housing 16. The photoelectric cell 85 is connected to the main conductors 8l and 88 which are in turn connected to the receiving sets, one receiving set being sho-wn to which the conductors 8l and 88 are initially connected by the conductors 89 and Q0 which pass from the conductors Ii'l and 88 respec tively to the amplifier 9|, which amplifier 9| is in turn connected by the conductors s2 and SSS to the lamp 94 mounted in the lamp housing S5. The lamp 94 in the present instance is preferably of the type which can be rapidly modulated, such as a neon tube or the like.

From the tube 94, the light rays pass up through the condenser 96 and then through the receiving set of discs hereinafter to be described to the objective lens 0l and from there directed tothe screen housing 9B ultimately to produce an image or picture on the screen 99 of the screen housing 98.

In the present embodiment, there are provided a set of discs |00 and |0| for the sending station and another set of discs |02 and |03 for the receiving station. These sets of discs are identical with one another, that is the disc |00 is substantially identical to the disc |02 and the disc |0| is substantially identical to the disc |03.

It is here to be noted that this embodiment distinguishes from, the. embodiment of Fig. 1 in that each station has two discs instead of only one disc. Each set of discs here is drivingly connected to a motor, the discs |00 and I0! drivingly connected to the motor |04 and the other discs |02 and |03 to the motor |05. These two motors are substantially identical to one another and synchronized with a common generator oper-- ating on alternating current, the motor |04 being connected by the conductors |05 and |07 through the switch |08 to the main conductors |09 and ||0 and the motor |05 is adapted to be connected by the conductors I I I and I I2 through the switch ||3 to the main conductors |09 and H0 leading to the common source of 'current not shown.

In the present instance, the lamp 84 is connected to the conductors |06 and I0? by the conductors H4 and ||5 respectively. When the motors |04 and |05 are so connected to the main conductors |09 and I I0 and the current is turned on, these motors will synchronize with one an other and in turn` drive the sets of discs |00|0| and |02-|03 respectively at the same speed and therefore in synchronisml with one another.

The upper disc of each of these sets in the present instance is connected to be rotated at one half the speed of the lower disc. For this purpose, the motor |04 has its shaft I it fixed to the lower disc |0|, and the upper disc |00 rotatably mounted on this shaft IIE but xed in its rate of speed relative to the rate of speed of the shaft |I6 by a speed reducing train of gears, the shaft I I0 having iixed at its upper end a small gear I Il in mesh with the large gear I I8 rotatably mounted on the stub shaft ||9 fastened in the boss |20 of the bracket 86. The gear ||8 has fixed at its lower hub, the gear |2| which meshes with the gear |22 fixed to the upper disc |00. The train of gears are selected to reduce the speed by two so that the disc |00 will have a speed relative to the speed oi the disc I0! of one to two.

The disc I 03 will similarly be fixed to rotate with the shaft |21 of the motor |05 and the disc |02 connected to the gear- |23 and the train of gears |24, |25, and |26 with the shaft|21 of the motor so that here too the speed of the ,disc |02 relative to the speed of the disc |03 will be as one to two.

Each of the lower discs |0| and |03 will be provided with a like number of openings |28 formed in the shape of a spiral twice moving around the center of the disc. Each of these openings has a diameter at its lower end of about one sixtyfourth of an inch aring outwardly in its upward direction similar to the form of openings 55 of the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, see Fig. 2.

The speed of the disc |0| here too is about eighteen hundred revolutions per minute so that the speed of the disc |00 will be about nine hundred revolutions per minute. The openings |28 in the present instance likewise arey spaced from one another at least the width of the tape being used so that one opening can entirely clear the tape before the second opening passes onto the tape.

This spaced relation also exists between the first opening at the outer end of the spiral and the last opening at the inner end of the spiral so that the rst opening of the spiral at the outer end or the spiral cannot cross the tape until the last opening at the inner end of the spiral has entirely cleared the tape, see the tape area |29 shown in dotted lines in Fig. '7.

The upper disc of each set, see the disc |00 in Fig. '.7 is provided with a spiral slot |30 having a single convolution as compared to the row of openings |28 in the lower disc |0I. This slot |30 has its outer end registering with the outermost opening |28 of the vdisc 10| relative to the outer periphery of these discs, see Fig. 'l and the inner end of the recess |30 registers with the innermost opening |28 of the disc |0| relative to the outer periphery of these discs, see Fig. 7.

From the foregoing, it will thus appear that when the disc |00 makes one revolution to two revolutions of the lower disc |0I, the spiral recess |35 will successively register and thus successively expose each of the openings |28 of the spiral |0|, beginning with the outermost opening and end ing with the innermost'opening.

In this way by substantially doubling the nurnber of openings |28 as compared to the number oi openings 55 of the embodiment illustrated in t Fig. l and the cooperation with this auxiliary disc I and area of tape, twice the length of the area of tape that can be scanned with the rst embodiment can be scanned with the second embodiment in the same period or interval of time.

provided. The lower disc of each of the sets of discs, as an instance the disc |0| will be provided with an elongated slot |3| preferably beyond the end of the outermost end of the spiral row of openings I28, which opening is chamfered, the walls iiarng outwardly in an upward direction and the upper disc of each of the sets, as an instance, the disc |00 will be provided with a similar elongated slot, to wit the slot |32, see Figs. 7 and 8, the walls of which are chamfered flaring outwardly in an upward direction as indicated. These two slots may register with one another and with the opening |33 formed adjacent to the light aperture |34 above the condenser 13. Preferably the slots |32, |3| and opening |33 have substantially the same width.

The opening |33 similarly may be chamfered and have its walls aring outwardly in an upward direction so that when these three openings |32, |3| and |33 register with one another, a beam of light may pass from the condenser 13 to the light sensitive element 85 without being obstructed by any portion of the Walls o the discs |30, |5| and of the lamp housing 15.

The discs |02 and |03 of the receiving station will be provided with similar openings |32 and |3| respectively and 'the lamp housing 95 with an opening similar to the opening |33. At the receiving station, however, the light beam passing through these openings when in registration with one another will be picked up by a reflector |34 and by it directed onto a secondary light sensitive device, such as the photo-electric cell |35 mounted on the side of the lamp housing 95 which is connected by the conductors |33 and |31 with the amplifier |38 which is in turn connected by the conductors |39 and |40 with the Winding |4| having a solid core |42 and a shading coil |43 to form a slow opening magnet to attract the armature |44 which is connected by the conductor |45 with the conductor |46 connected through the switch I3 with the main conductor |09.

The armature |44 is provided with the contact |41 adapted to engage the contact |43 when the armature |44 is attracted by the core |42. This contact |48 is connected to the conductor The conductor ||2 as illustrated may be directly connected through the switch ||3 to the main conductor H5. Consequently when the sets of openings |32, |31 and |33 of both the sending station and receiving station register simultaneously, the energization of the core |42 in turn to actuate the armature |44 will close the circuit for the motor |55 so that the motor |55 will only be caused to turn at full speed and therefore in synchronous relation with the motor |54 when the set of discs |32 and |53 are in synchronous relation with the discs |53 and mi.

Initially however when the switches |38 and ||3 are turned on, these sets of discs may not be in position to synchronize with one another. During this period, the motor |54 will be connected to turn at its synchronous speed. The motor |55, however, will be connected to run at slightly reduced speed by the means now to be described so as to permit a variation in rotation of the two sets of discs and thus afford an opportunity for the two sets of openings |32, |3| and |33 of the two sets of discs to find one another or rather to permit the set of openings |32, |3| and |33 oi the receiving station to assume a position where they'will simultaneously register with one another when the openings |32, i3! and |33 of the sending station register with one another.

In order to effect this reduced speed, the conductor |46 is connected to the condenser |49 which is connected to the conductor |55, one end of which is connected to the contact |5| and the other end of which conductor |55 is connected to the winding |52, which winding is connected by the conductor |53 to the conductor i |2.

The core |54 of the winding |52 is laminated as shown in Fig. 6 to produce a quick acting magnet. This laminated U-shaped core |54 is in turn connected to the base |55 on which is mounted the laminated leg |55 of the core |54. From the foregoing, it will thus be seen that when the switch i3 is turned on, the current will pass from the conductor |09 through the conductor |46 to the conductor |45 and then through the armature |44 and Contact |5| through the conductor |53 and winding |52 to the conductor |53 and conductor ||2 back to the main conductor Hi! through the switch ||3.

During this circuit, it will energize the winding |52 in order to energize the laminated core |54 to attract the armature |44 thereby breaking the contact between the contact 55| and the armature |44 but establishing contact between the contacts |41 and |48 momentarily causing current to pass from the conductor |39 through the switch ||3 to the conductor |45 and then through the conductor |45 to the armature |44 and by means of the contacts |41 and |48 to the conductor and thereby to the motor |55, the conductor ||2 of the motor |55 being directly connected to the conductor through the switch H3.

However, immediately that the current is so f` connected with the motor |55, it will be cut 01T from the winding |52 and since the core |54 is quick acting, it will immediately release the armature |44 and allow the spring |51 to actuate the armature to break the contact between the contacts |41 and |48 and return the armature into engagement with the contact |5| and at the same time again shut the current oi to the motor |55.

The condenser |45 of course is provided to quench the sparks produced between the contact |5| and the armature |44. In order to quench the sparks between the contacts |41 and |48, the condenser |53 is provided connected to theconductors |46 and Due to this intermittent interruption of current to the motor |35, it of course cannot pick up full speed thereby causing the discs |52 and |83 to rotate at a reduced speed.

Note should here be taken of the fact that the retarding action of the core |42 will be so predetermined that it will overlap one revolution of the disc |02, so that when the core |42 has once been energized to attract the armature |44, it will not release the same before the openings |32, |3| and |33 will again register and thereiore again impart a light impulse to the cell |3| in turn to reestablish the circuit for the winding It will of course also be obvious from the foregoing that as the motor |05 will not immediately pick up top speed with the rst coincident registration of the two sets of openings |32, |3| and |33 of the two sets of discs, its speed may gradually be built up by successive coincident registrations oi" these openings and the resulting action aforesaid.

As an instance, the sequence of operation may be substantially as follows, initially the motor |54 may be started by turning on switch |33 and allowed to run at its synchronous speed. The openings |32 and |3| of the discs |93 and iiil of the sending station relative to the opening |33 will come into alinement about nine hundred times per minute. The projected area at the openings |32, |3| and |33 is greater than the area of a scanning hole |28. Preferably this projected area is about ten times greater than a scanning hole |28 and consequently admits a greater amount of light to impinge upon the photo sensitive surface of the cell 35 thereby to produce. a very denite strong synchronizing light pulse signal every revolution of disc |53 or nine hundred signal pulses per minute. This synchronizing light pulse signal has a greater light intensity proportionately to the light intensity lli) ofl themaximum amount of light that will pass through the scanning hole |28 in proportion as the projected area of the openings |32, |3| and |33 will be to the area of the scanning hole |28.

This definite strong synchronizing light pulse signal ten times or more intense than the scanning pulse for the printed image, to wit about nine hundred per minute is sought by the receiving station.

The receiving station may now be turned on by actuating the switch ||3 in turn to cause current to pass through the motor |05. The current for the motor |05 initially will so be controlled that motor |05 cannot initially come up to synchronous speed although it may closely approach the same. This slightly reduced speed will be accomplished by the vibration of the armature |44 heretofore described. The openings |32, |3| and |33 of the two sets of discs can only line up at their respective starting points, the position illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, and when the said slightly retarded discs |32 and H33 of the receiving station arrive at the starting point on time, that is at the moment when the strong light pulse signal is sent out from the sending or scanning station through the alined openings |32, |3| and |33 of the sending station.

From the foregoing, it will thus be apparent, that when a light impulse or light pulse signal passes an opening |28 of the sending station and the openings |32, |3| and |33 of the receiving station register, only a light impulse of low intensity will pass to the light sensitive cell |35 which in turn will not be sufficient to energize the winding Ml to attract the armature |44 to its arrested position and that the winding MI will only be energized suiriciently to attract the armature |44 into its arrested position when the sets of openings |32, |3| and |33 both of the sending and receiving stations simultaneously register, that is when the strong light pulse signal eiected by the set of openings |32, |3| and |33 of the sending station is received by the lamp 94 of the receiving station at the same time that the set of openings |32, |3| and |33 of the receiving station are in alinement.

The aforesaid system is particularly adapted for interoice communication, As an instance, in a stock brokers oice, a ticker may be equipped with a transmitting or sending station and the desk |59 of a brokers oce or the like may be equipped with a receiving set having a screen it@ mounted in the upper end of a cabinet |6| as illustrated in Fig. 9. In this Way, a single ticker may servea large brokerage oflice and the news transmitted by the ticker simultaneously transmitted to a large number of widely separated offices or desks too far removed from the ticker convenient to inspect the same. On the other hand, it is of course obvious that a brokerage concern having several branch oiices in different parts of the city or located in different cities will be in a position to effect a material saving in ticker expense since with this system, a single ticker at one oice may be connected by this system simultaneously to transmit the messages received to any and all of the branch oices.

I claim:

1. In a transmitter, the combination with a translucent tape having light interrupting characters intermittently printed thereon and discharged in a substantially horizontal plane by a printer, of a horizontally extending light aperture disposed adjacent to the ldischarge end of the printer, a light sensitive device, means for drawing the tape between said light sensitive device and said light aperture and across said light aperture as it is discharged by the printer, a pair of adjacent discs concentric to one another mounted to rotate about a vertical axis disposed beyond the discharge end of said light aperture, there being a spiral row of openings formed in two convolutions of the cuter zone of one of said discs, there being a spiral slot in a single convolution of the outer zone of the other of said discs, means for drawing the tape between the path of movement of said discs and said light aperture and across said light aperture as the tape is discharged by the printer, a motor, and means for drivingly connecting said discs with said motor so that the outer zones of said discs may move in horizontal paths of movement between said light sensitive device and said tape adjacent to the tape, the driving connections of the disc having the spiral slot causing said disc to rotate at about half the speed of said first disc and said spiral slot being positioned relative to the spiral row of openings of said first disc successively to uncover said openings one at a time thereby to scan successive lineal areas of the tape portion at said light aperture in turn to transmit to said light sensitive device lines of light as light impulses corresponding to the message formed on the tape after the characters are printed on the tape by the printer.

2. The combination with a transmitting station comprising a light sensitive device, a source of light for directing light through successive portions of a translucent tape having light interrupting characters printed thereon, a disc having a spiral row of openings, means for rotating said disc to cause said row of openings to scan successive lineal areas of the tape in turn to transmit light from said light source to said light sensitive device as light impulses corresponding to the message formed on the tape, of a receiving station having a screen, and a neon lamp, means for electrically transmitting said light impulses to said neon lamp, means for positioning said light impulses corresponding to the position thereof in said illuminated picture, said positioning means comprising a second disc having a spiral row of openings, means for rotating said second disc to permit the passage of successive lines of light to said screen corresponding to the message transmitted as light impulses, the rotating means at said transmitting and receiving stations being synchronous motors, and means for automatically setting said discs to synchronize, said setting means consisting of an auxiliary opening in each of said discs positioned adjacent to the beginning of its spiral row of openings, a second light sensitive device at said receiving station, means for directing a light beam from said neon lamp at said latter light sensitive device when said auX- iliary openings register with said neon lamp, means including an intermittent current interrupter at said receiving station for initially electrically connecting the motor of said receiving station when the current for the motor of the transmitting station is established, and means including a slow opening magnet cooperating with said interrupter and establishing a continuous current to the motor of the receiving station operatively connected to be energized when the auxiliary openings of said transmitting and receiving stations simultaneously register in light receiving position.

3. The combination with a transmitting station comprising a light sensitive device, a source of light for directing light through successive portions of a translucent tape having light interrupting characters formed thereon, a disc having a spiral row of openings, means for rotating said disc to cause said row of openings to scan successive lineal areas of the tape in turn to transmit light from said light source to said light sensitive device as light impulses corresponding to the message formed on the tape, of a receiving station having a screen, and a lamp, means for electrically transmitting said light impulses to said lamp, means for positioning said light impulses corresponding to the position thereof in said illuminated picture, said positioning means compris ing a second disc having a spiral roW of openings, means for rotating said second disc to permit the passage of successive lines of light to said screen corresponding to the message transmitted as light impulses, the rotating means at said transmitting and receiving stations being synchronous motors, and means for automatically setting said discs to synchronize, said setting means consisting of an auxiliary opening in each of said discs positioned adjacent to the beginning of its spiral roW of openings, a second light sensitive device at said receiving station, means for directing a light beam from said lamp at said latter light sensitive device When said auxiliary openings register with said lamp, means including an intermittent current interrupter at said receiving station for initially electrically connecting the motor of said receiving station when the current for the motor of the transmitting station is estabilished, and means including a slow opening magnet cooperating with said interrupter and establishing a continuous current to the motor of the receiving station operatively connected to be energized when the auxiliary openings of said transmitting and receiving stations simultaneously register in light receiving position.

AUGUST D. EITZEN.

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